Vitisphere publish 'La lettre des Vignerons' as their newsletter twice a week. We can't remember how we got onto their list but we're glad we did because it really is worth reading. There are often juicy bits about who's going to prison or getting fined for the latest scams and sometimes a reflection of the heat French Vignerons generate in combating the government over the many difficulties they face.
The following was a particularly interesting post concerning the vine disease Flavescence Dorée*(Grapevine Yellows). We were particularly interested to read that Fleurtai and Soreli are considered less prone to the disease having planted these two VCR varieties ourselves.
'I will not plant any more Marselan or Vermentino until Flavescence Dorée is better controlled. These two grape varieties are ultra-sensitive to this disease.
On his Isle Saint-Pierre estate, in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), Julien Henry is fighting a pugnacious fight against Flavescence Dorée, treating three to four times the areas most infested with leafhoppers. Of his 240 ha of vines, he has already uprooted 47.5 ha in three years.
“All my grape varieties are affected. They say that Merlot is more resistant, but I had to pull out a plot that was just 5 years old,” he says angrily. "I'm going to replant Merlot" For the moment, he has not yet replanted the areas grubbed up. But, this year, he will have to resolve it if he does not want to lose his planting rights. “I will replant Merlot even if I am not convinced that it is not very sensitive to Flavescence Dorée.
But what else to plant? Syrah? It's an ostrich: you don't see the symptoms, but the vine can be contaminated and contribute to the spread of the disease. Fleurtaï and Soreli seem a little less sensitive, but they are not completely unscathed. As for Muscat à petits grains, which is also tolerant, there is no market for this variety. »
In Vergèze (Gard), the Vignoble de la Voie d'Héraclès cellar is also badly affected by this scourge. Committed to organic farming for a long time, it is all the more vulnerable as the effectiveness of Pyrévert, the only insecticide authorized in organic farming, remains uncertain.
Organic winegrower in Poilhes, in the Hérault, Bernard Paillet has given up on certain grape varieties:
"Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon, Cabernet-Sauvignon... it's over, I don't plant any more as long as there are the Flavescence Dorée in my area.
This producer was forced to uproot 6 ha in five years. "Sensitivity to disease is now the number one criterion in my choice of grape varieties," he says. But we have little information about it. We rely on our observations and feedback from our fellow winegrowers. If we had the statistics of the varieties grubbed up because of Flavescence Dorée, that would already be a clue. »
If Bernard Paillet does not miss Cabernet-Sauvignon, often too tannic on his terroir, nor Sauvignon Blanc, less and less thiolated with global warming, he regrets having to do without the Albarino. Now, he favors five grape varieties: Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Fleurtaï and Soreli. To maintain a 65% white grape variety, he "viognises" his vineyard. "Chardonnay, I have to plant it because the market demands it, but I'm clenching my butt," he adds. I reserve it for areas that are less infested. »
The 'Vignerons du Pays d’Ensérune' have the same problems.. « We are sending vignerons a list of more resitstant varieties: Syrah, Merlot, Viognier and Côt (Malbec).'
* Flavescence Dorée (Grapevine Yellows) is a relatively recent disease. First appearing in Armagnac in 1949 like Phylloxera it was said to have been brought from America. By the early 1990s it was widespread in France and has now spread all over the world. The spreading is done by an insect called Leafhopper. Signs include late budbreak, very slow shoot growth which may stop altogether while leaves yellow and droop downwards. Shoots also droop and bunches fall off. Berries are small and bitter. Half the vineyard may be affected in any one year. The fruit in the remainder is not affected. Flavescance Doree and associated diseases are potentially a worse threat than Phylloxera because it is spreading fast and there is no way it can be controlled. Having said that, insecticides are used to some effect. There is even one called Pyrévert that can be used in organic viticulture and is
to some degree effective against the leafhopper.
No comments:
Post a Comment